


Bang Goes My Heart

by vertibird



Category: Fallout (Video Games), Fallout: New Vegas
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Blindfolds, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Smut, Friends to Lovers, Light Bondage, M/M, Resolved Sexual Tension
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-16
Updated: 2017-08-16
Packaged: 2018-12-16 00:30:16
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,539
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11817435
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vertibird/pseuds/vertibird
Summary: Before being sent down to Baja, Boone meets up with Six years after the Battle of Hoover Dam. Hanging out in an overpriced motel room in the Boneyard might not be the best place to fix all his issues and insecurities regarding the other man, but he might only get this one night to do something about it.





	Bang Goes My Heart

**Author's Note:**

> A request for M!Courier/Boone with light bondage. This is set a few years of the NCR ending.

The Boneyard may be under the Republic, but it’s another beast compared to Shady Sands or Redding. It has older roots than the Republic, which means while it’s integrated and adapted in the NCR, there’s always a feeling that it just doesn’t fit as right. That could be said for plenty of other places the Republic has taken in, but the Boneyard isn’t as subtle about it. Maybe it’s the Followers’ medical students who protest outside government buildings against the push into Baja and further East. It could be the part of the Boneyard called New Adytum or the stares fully uniformed soldiers get when walking into certain alleys.  
  
Whatever reason, Boone doesn’t like the Boneyard much. While Shady Sands has more corrupt hot shots who want to claw their way to the top, at least it pulls off being orderly. The Boneyard doesn’t hide it so well, but he’s heard it’s gotten better.  
  
He stands outside one of the few non-renovated buildings, a site with a plaque indicating this place is what’s left of the Master’s base. Boone knows the story, roughly, through school and soldiers telling drunken stories while on leave. He’s never given it much thought beyond that, and he has no emotional attachment to this place or what it means.  
  
There’s a school tour group nearby, young children whispering and pointing at him. He turns to look away from them, knowing it’s probably him in full uniform and his beret making him stand out so much. This happens in varying degrees everywhere he goes, even in Shady Sands. Being a part of the First Recon will do that.  
  
He’s waiting for a person. He received a letter a few weeks ago from a person he thought he would never see again. Boone’s heard a few whispers about him, but seeing him in person is another thing. The letter matched up with what he heard, that Six had been kicked out of the Lucky 38 and now lives somewhere else. The letter asked Boone to be at the ruins of the Master’s base on a certain time and date, so here is he. He’s come out of loyalty and wanting to see an old friend.  
  
The Republic’s gratitude only extended towards Six right until the next election season crept up. Then Six’s contribution was downplayed, his name rarely or not even tied to what happened at Hoover Dam. Instead, it was all Kimball and Oliver. Their victory at Hoover Dam just gave them more leverage to push their agenda.  
  
He hears footsteps, counting the steps and hearing how loud they are in order to make an estimated guess on how close the person is. He turns around and sees a person wearing a gas mask. Even without seeing the person’s face, he has a gut feeling he’s very certain who this person is  
  
“Did you know this was a cathedral with a vault down below? I want to see it, but it’s closed for renovation.” The voice is slightly obscured with the gas mask on, but it’s understandable and it confirms his gut feeling. “What a shame. I even brought Republic currency with me.” He stands next to him, their shoulders only a few inches apart. It’s surprising he doesn’t brush up against Boone.  
  
He removes his mask, revealing he is indeed the courier he met a couple of years ago. “I was thinking you weren’t going to show. Glad you proved me wrong.” Six smiles at him, parts of his hair looking disheveled due to wearing a mask previously.  
  
“I got your letter and I have the time.” He holds back saying he wanted to see him, that he’s thought about him far more than any other person, and that makes him feel guilty and confused. “How did you know I was stationed here?” Boone notices the subtle differences between the Six from the last time he saw him. His head isn’t vertically half shaved where his bullet wound was, and while the scar is still evident, it’s more faded and blends in with his skin tone. The thing that does look exactly the same is Six’s smile, still cheeky and looking amused.  
  
“I still have a few friends in the NCR that remember how I helped them. So much for saying that they’re the last thing you never see.” Six’s jokes and his sense of humor hasn’t changed, and that’s a comfort he never expected. Back when they were traveling together, he felt like Six’s jokes and humor either went over his head or he didn’t find most funny. Unless they were about the Legion, then Boone might have almost smiled. He still feels his jokes aren’t so great, and he wonders if it’s the familiarity that makes it a comfort. “Congratulations on rejoining the first recon, even if I’m several years late.”  
  
“It’s fine. I thought about what to do after Hoover Dam, and rejoining felt like the right thing to do.” He doesn’t doubt rejoining is a mistake, but he has doubts about Kimball’s and Oliver’s expansion goals when they’re barely holding onto what they have.  
  
“Still, I want to celebrate it. Or maybe that’s just an excuse to get you to come over to a room I’ve rented for a few days and have a few drinks.” Six puts the gas mask back on. “So, in out?”  
  
He doesn’t voice his response verbally, instead walking away from the landmark.      
  
The room isn’t too far of a walk, maybe half a mile or so. He doesn’t ask why Six is wearing the gas mask, just assuming he’s hiding his face. He most likely doesn’t want most people and the Republic to know he’s here.  
  
The rented room is in some renovated complex with only pieces of the old infrastructure still left. There’s a view overlooking New Adytum on the upper level where Six’s room is. The room itself is nothing like the one Six had in Novac; its interior is new and doesn’t smell of cigarettes and rotted moldy fabric. Instead, it smells like traces of gunpowder and burnt out energy cells.  
Six sits casually, probably a little too relaxed, sprawled out on the couch. He’s slowly drinking whiskey from what Boone reads from the bottle’s label. Boone, on the other hand, is sitting on a futon not far the couch not drinking anything.  
  
So far he’s been listening to what happened to Six since they last saw each other. While he hasn’t recovered his memories, he’s met his parents that live far north in non-NCR territory. He’s spent most of his time in the what he calls the Big Empty (or is it MT?), and Boone briefly recalls hearing about that place before once when Six went missing for a week or so.    
  
The entire time Six has been talking, he’s been so focused on him. He doesn’t process all the words individually or the jokes, but he does get the general summary and the tone of the conversation. He’s comparing the Six he first met and traveled with and the one sitting in front of him. This Six seems more mature and less impulsive, taking his time with things rather than trying to rush things.  
  
Then there are the physical aspects. He looks like he hasn’t been in the Wasteland that much, sticking to big cities or where he lives right now. His hands don’t have scratches and gun powder residue marks, his nails not dirty from sand and dirt. His hair doesn’t look as stuck together with dirt and sweat. He’s clean shaven, his clothing and armor not full of holes and patches but looking entirely new and very expensive.  
  
Yet the consistent things are the smile on his face, the sound of his laughter, and the way he says Boone’s name.  
  
“I’ve been the one mostly talking for half an hour or so,” Six hasn’t taken a sip from his glass for a while now, swirling the liquid inside the class like a whirlpool. “I’d say that’s either unfair or selfish of me.” He takes a sip, but it’s not that much. “Or are you going to keep staring at me like an Auto-Doc rearranged my entire face?”  
  
So Six has noticed his staring, and it takes him a few seconds to realize he feels embarrassed, maybe even mortified. Six has put him in this sort of situations before, but back then he just felt uncomfortable and just used his tone to wriggle his way out of it. This time, he can’t think of anything and doesn’t use the same tone of voice; he doesn’t say anything.  
  
“I like to think I look more handsome. Arcade told me not to push it and to keep my ego in check, so it must be true.” That line gives him room to pivot the attention off him.  
  
“You’ve gone to see him?” He’s thought once in a while how things turned out for him, especially since he stayed with the Followers during the NCR transition.  
  
“I spent a few days at his place outside of the Boneyard before coming here. He’s a family doctor now, most of the time he does it for free or for almost free. He gets donations time to time, and sometimes he gets gecko pelts as a form of payment.” It makes sense for Six to visit Arcade for a few days. They seemed closer than he ever was with Six outwardly. He’d talk a lot more with him, and if he’s remembering and interpreting things correctly, they flirted with each other. Six’s tone back then was so different towards him, nothing like how he sounded and acted like with Arcade.  
  
“He’d never admit it, but I think he liked me visiting him. I let him talk about everything he wanted, even asking a few questions and making comments. I helped him out with his doctor stuff, even got puked on and blood splattered on me.” It’s good to hear another one of their companions has found a new purpose in life. “I got him a few books, too. I think he liked the books more than me.” He sighs loudly, purposely exaggerating. “Pretty sad if I say so myself. He’s really settled into that lifestyle, though. He said he was worried I was going to bring trouble with me. I think he’s just worried about me but doesn’t want to admit it.”  
  
“You used to bring trouble everywhere you go.” He doesn’t say it as a joke, but Six laughs anyway.  
  
“I still do, I guess, but more of the serious kind rather than bad luck and people trying to kill us. Not sure what’s worse.” The implication is darker than what he’s said before. Six looks at the glass in his right hand, taking one last large sip to finish it off. “Ha, this stuff is cheap and burns like Cass’ moonshine.” He doesn’t sound displeased when he says that, though. “Maybe that’s why I drank a glass of it.”  
  
Boone wants to ask about both Arcade and Cass since they got mentioned by Six, but he’s not entirely sure as to why. He wonders about how things turned out for them, sure, but it’s not until Six mentioned them that it’s become more than a passing thought that comes up time to time. Him rambling about Arcade doesn’t settle right with him. He won’t say he’s annoyed, but they seemed to have more chemistry and talked more back when they all traveled together. Hell, Six talked to everyone more than he did. That was his fault, though. He’s still not good with words, not easy to talk to, and he’s not funny or smart.  
  
He’s good at being quiet, though. Maybe listening. Those are things he’s picked up as a sniper.  
  
“So making the rounds and doing some sort of reunion?” Is he just another name to check off on a list? There must be some concern to some extent, or maybe it is simply just curiosity.  
  
“I think about all of you.” Boone doesn’t stand out, he’s just one of them. He’s fine with that, it makes sense. “You a bit more than the others.” There’s something underlying Six’s words, but he doesn’t ask what it is and can’t interpret it. Instead, he just assumes.  
  
“Because you heard about NCR forces going down to Baja.” Six has plenty of friends in the Republic, low ranking ones, and him. Of course, he would hear about and be concerned. “You don’t need to take responsibility for what the NCR is doing now. The big bosses were going to do whatever they wanted anyway.”  
  
He’s used to Six quickly responding, but instead, he looks away, staring out the room’s window. The sun is setting, and the lights from buildings will illuminate the entire main part of the city.  
  
“Yeah, sure. I heard about that and thought about you.” He may miss half the subtle things or jokes Six makes, but this is even obvious to him. “That makes the most sense.”  
  
“You’re lying.” He knows Six better than this, and he’s not going to let this slide.  
  
“Did you think of me when you heard the Republic was trying to run me off?” This loaded question aggravates him, especially since no matter what he says it’s not going to come out right.  
  
“What do you think.” It’s a statement rather than a question, and this reunion has caused his emotions to stir in a way he didn’t want. “You’re being a brat.”  
  
Six just laughs like he’s made a hilarious joke. Yet he doesn’t look or seem happy as he laughs. He gets up, holding his glass in one hand and tugging down at Boone’s beret as he passes by him.  
  
He goes to the window, putting the empty glass on the ridge of it. “I was thinking at the time I’d get a statue of me built in Shady Sands, just like that one Stranger statue they got over there.” Six is staring out the window rather than him. “And I’m older than you, by the way.”  
  
“You didn’t do it for that.” Boone still isn’t a hundred percent sure why Six did what he did, but he knows it wasn’t just for fame or power.    
  
“Yeah, but a statue would have been nice, wouldn’t it?” Six turns to look back at him, and maybe it’s the lighting or just that moment, but he feels his chest tighten. He can’t help but just stare at his face in a much more focused manner, but it’s different from before. Earlier he was studying Six’s face to compare the differences, but this time he can’t place why besides that he doesn’t want this moment to end when it should.  
  
“What are you staring off like that for? Actually thinking what a statue of me would look like?” He doesn’t say yes or no before he’s asked another question. “Or are you getting sentimental? Thinking about the times we had together?” He knows it’s a mocking tone, that Six is just joking around because that conversation could lead to too many emotions and things they both don’t want to talk about directly.  
  
“I’m thinking you got something in mind and haven’t said so yet.” Boone isn’t lying when he says this, even if the more immediate thoughts are different from what he’s just said. It’s an underlying theme of Six to him, a sort of guessing game and hoping they haven’t gotten in over their heads.  
  
“I got plenty of things on my mind I haven’t said, maybe about twenty or so things. Like, why did I eat that gecko omelet this morning? A big mistake that one.” Six seems even more defensive, dodging avoiding more than before. Boone doesn’t even think he’s making Six run through a verbal minefield, but apparently, he is. Has he done something to put him on high alert?  
  
“We talked, you got a few drinks in you. Did you want to do something else?” Boone wouldn’t call what’s happened so far fun, but it hasn’t been a complete waste of time. He knows Six is alive and that’s something.  
  
If Six were dead, he’d blame himself. He might not have forced Six to let the NCR deal with New Vegas, and he never knew it’d be this bad, but he did suggest it’d be a good route to take. They mostly had good experiences with the Republic out in the Mojave, but the Republic here is another type of bear and it has dug its claws into Six and left him to die.  
  
“Plenty, but not with you tonight apparently.” Those words aren’t a joke, they’re serious, and they cut through Boone like a ripper. The way Six’s eyes look when he stares right at him makes him stop breathing, and when Six looks away a few seconds later, he finally exhales out. “The room’s paid up for the night. You can use it or just leave, but it’s a good location for sightseeing and tourist spots.”    
What did he say and how did he say it that caused such a chilly response? He can’t recall Six ever using that tone with him or the others. Something inside Boone awakens, and it feels like anger. He gets up and grabs Six’s arm, turning him so they look at each other.  
  
“Why are you doing this? You wanted to see me, you asked me to come. No more games, no more bullshit. You didn’t act like this back then.” He doesn’t grip too tightly, but it’s enough Six can’t wriggle out of easily. Their faces and body are so close that he can hear Six’s breathing, and he’s noticed it’s slowed down.  
  
“I have memories and attachments now.” Just looking him as he says those words, Boone can tell something died inside within Six since the last time he saw him  
.  
It’s most likely inappropriate, badly timed, but there are so many raw emotions sparking between them like static. Boone kisses him, not even thinking about how the kiss isn’t a sign of tender love and care. It’s of desperation, of him saying this is all hurting him and he has no idea what to do. The words ‘stay’ keep echoing in his head, and if only he could say those words out loud. Yet if he does end up saying the word, would Six do that? All Six seems to know is moving on like most couriers do; staying might be an unknown concept to him. Staying is what Boone did for a while, staying in Novac and in his past until Six came into his life.  
  
“Damn,” Their lips are still close but parted from each other. “Here I was thinking I’d always make the first move and get shot down. That’s why I never bothered since I try not to dent my ego unless I have to.” He’s staring into his eyes, but their proximity blurs his vision. “Time has changed both of us, huh?”  
  
Changed them? Yes, but Boone knows these feelings aren’t new. They were there, lying in wait in some trench in the no man’s land on the battlefield of his life. Those years ago, even Boone knows he had more baggage than a brahmin could carry. On the other hand, Six was baggage free, running around the Mojave like he was only living for the present. Or at least that’s how Boone saw it back then.  This isn’t the time and place to ask for clarification on the matter. He just wants to know that he hasn’t made a fool of himself. He doesn’t want Six going with this as a punchline or something to shrug off later to possibly laugh at down the line with Cass.  
  
“Say something, do something.” Taunting is what Boone thinks Six is doing at first, but the tone doesn’t match that. There’s insecurity in those words, and maybe he thinks, Six is thinking something along the same things he is.  
  
He holds him so close, so tightly, that hug is an understatement of what he’s doing. Boone can feel him go from tense to relax in within his hold.  
“Don’t go, those are the words you want to say, right? Don’t go tonight.” His hands clutch at Six’s shirt and armor, tugging and pulling at it.  
  
“Not tonight.” Not this week, not this month, not this year, not this decade, not this century, not this lifetime.  
  
His sunglasses have been replaced by a blindfold. Usually, without his eyesight, he feels vulnerable, but Six’s hands running across his body alleviates some of that fear. His other senses have become heightened and they’re being tested. He hears Six’s breathing, how it isn’t as fast as it usually is. It reminds him of the time he taught Six how to breathe when sniping. Thinking about that, he tries to hear and feel if Six is breathing that way. He is, and a smile from that memory ripples in his mind.  
  
“You’re thinking about something from back then, aren’t you?” The words aren’t exactly accusatory but they don’t sound pleased. “You’re here, we’re here, think about us now.” He feels an exhale against his lips. “I guess I have to bring you into the present. You don’t mind, do you?” Six kisses him, the blindfold's fabric rolling up on itself just a little.   
  
He was hesitant to believe Six when he said the blindfold will fix what’s between them, but the sensation of the kissing, of his touches, are starting to change Boone’s mind. It is keeping him in the present and helping in focus on the actions and sensations between them rather than his mind lingering and clutching to past memories.   
  
“You can touch me, too, you know.” Six’s humor isn’t lost on him, and he can feel his hand being guided down to Six’s crotch. “Not too long ago it seemed like you were trying to squeeze all the air out of my lungs.”  
  
“I didn’t want it to be the last time I saw you.” It could have easily been the last time he saw Six. He could die in Baja or where the NCR felt like taking him. Six is also good at disappearing only to leave a trail of rumors.   
  
“I’m not leaving you, Craig.” Six must have sensed far more than what Boone wanted to show. “And you think with a hard-on like this, I’m just going to up and go?” The crass and forward direction of the conversation saves Boone from having to face all his feelings at the moment. Instead, he can feel Six getting harder, rubbing against his calloused palm. “I think they charge at least several hundred caps for something like this in New Reno.”   
  
Boone’s fingers being to move, explore rather than being held by Six’s hand. He feels the zipper and cloth that’s the barrier between his hand and Six’s erection.Without his vision, a mental image appears where he can see himself jerking Six off. He’s not that imaginative, but it’s enough to get him worked up.   
  
“You’re thinking about now.” Six rubs against his growing erection, but it’s not with his hand. Either way, it feels far better than he could’ve imagined. “Now that we’re both here, let’s get started.”   
  
After those words, things escalate and move much faster than what Boone could have ever anticipated. He can feel Six fumbling with clothes, pulling things off and keeping some things on. Boone helps a little, but for the most part, he just has his hands on Six, never letting go of him. He remembers an old tip that was given to him, by who knows who, saying the best way to ground oneself is to focus on one thing at a time. Right now he’s focused on Six and everything else around them is a distraction.  
  
There’s a tear of a wrapper, whispered words in his right ear, and the atmosphere around them changes again. He’s trying to slow down his breathing, and he’s not sure if it’s nerves or adrenaline that’s making his body react this way. Or maybe it’s just Six this close to him on both a physical and emotional level.   
  
Maybe those words Six whispered to him should have stayed unsaid.   
  
Six pushes inside of him slowly, their lips brushing against each other but they do not kiss. Boone has the urge to bite his bottom lip, this poorly timed urge results in him biting Six’s bottom lip. He mutters an apology, but the other man just laughs, kissing him deeply before he starts moving.  
  
Boone wasn’t sure what to expect, from the blindfold to having sex with Six. It’s pushing him to an edge that’s not a cliff where a sniper can perch from. It feels good, far better than what he ever expected. It doesn’t just feel like a release of everything he’s pent up for years now, but like a powerfist smashing through his restraint and thoughts.   
  
He’s not losing himself; he’s finding himself and the true feelings he has towards Six.  
  
In the aftermath, Six is sitting on the edge of the bed, his back towards Boone. Boone no longer had the blindfold on, and he’s taking advantage of that by looking at every little curve and mark of Six’s naked body. Six gives him a wink, catching Boone starting at him like that. It’s not friendly teasing anymore -- Boone knows that.  
  
“Baja, huh.” Six says to him, and he’s not sure where this conversation starter is going to lead them.  
  
“Yeah,” impossible demands dance around his mind, taunting him, but he doesn’t dare say anything of them.   
  
“Nothing like winning battles and territory to boost approval rating before an election.” Six probably knows the politics of the NCR better than he does by now. Boone has actively tried to avoid it all, so it’s not a hard thing to do.   
  
“I don’t care about that stuff.” There’s such a detachment between the higher ups and the boots actually on the ground. It’s not for him to fix, though. He has accepted it’s something the NCR can’t change with just a few people.   
  
“I know you don’t. You care about people.” Six leans a bit closer to him. “What an upstanding citizen of the Republic.”   
  
“I don’t think I can call myself that when I’m helping out a public enemy and traitor.” It’s a nicer and less wordy way of putting it. There are some military and political terms he could use, but there’s no real point to.  
  
“I’m a public enemy and traitor now? Officially?” Six smiles at him, turning towards him more. “It took them long enough.”   
  
“To the top, but most us remember. I won’t let them forget what you did.” Maybe Boone said that too intensely as Six has a visible reaction on his face. He can’t read what it means, but Six doesn’t laugh at him. In fact, it seems like Six is taking him seriously, already imagining a likely scenario.     
  
“Just don’t forget what happened here in this room.” The feel of Six’s lips against his will linger until they see each other again. 


End file.
